Punctuation marks may be hated or even ignored by some people when it comes to writing. Nevertheless, they are sometimes crucial in order to avoid ambiguities. If we take for example the sentence: I know you know. A comma placed in the middle of the sentence “I know, you know” changes its meaning entirely. When we […]
In the previous post, we tackled the issue of changes in linguistic rules from a general point of view. This time around, I would like to analyze the way in which new means of communication (especially written forms) are changing the meaning of punctuation signs. In a traditional communication scheme, for example a letter exchange, […]
If you’re someone who can’t stand the punctuation errors and spelling mistakes that are abundant in print media, or someone who finds himself or herself constantly correcting journalists on TV for using the wrong tense, then March 4 is your day! Since 2008, this day has been recognized in the United States as the “National […]
As mentioned in previous posts, doing a thorough QA before delivering any translation project is of the essence, and one of the final steps to be followed for any project is the checklist (which is basically a list of items that require a final verification). Every translator/editor should create his or her own checklist to […]
Let us take this time to celebrate National Punctuation Day, wherein everyone must take a little extra time to focus on proper grammar usage and not fill the world with poor style and embarrassing mistakes. Visit the website to brush up on anything if you need to. Someday, I hope that we will live every […]
Continuing on the topic of writing dates in Spanish correctly, regarding the use of the article “el” (which includes the contraction “del“) before the expression of years, these are the proper protocols: a) For years between 1 and 1100, it is common to use the article, at least in spoken Spanish: Los árabes invadieron la […]
The logogram on the left is ubiquitous and easily recognizable throughout the world; it’s “the and sign”. To professionals and lovers of linguistic trivia, it’s the “ampersand”. What is less known is how it got to be to the place it is today. Here’s a brief history recapitulating the most important areas: Its original form […]
The period (full stop) is the punctuation mark that marks the grammatical and logical end of a sentence. The main difference comes from its greatest use in English. In Spanish, the period generally signals a pause or separation; the relationship is generally expressed with the comma and the semicolon. English uses the period before conjunctions, […]
This punctuation mark is, in Spanish, the equivalent to parentheses, though it does have one function that differs: marking off asides that are suggestive, ironic, or emotional, and the effect is stylistic. It must always be placed at the end of the aside, even when it is the end of the sentence. In English, a […]